According to the BrandZ Top 100 report for 2012 (via Reuters), nearly half of the top 100 global brands lost a significant amount of value. In fact, brands have not declined so significantly since the recession of 2009. Apple, however, has defied those odds, rising its brand value by 19% to remain the most valuable brand in the world.
Compiled each year by market-research agency Millward Brown, the BrandZ study evaluates brands on a number of different levels, including brand loyalty, reputation, technology, disruption, “personality,” and more, and then figures in the company’s financial value to determine their final rank.
The report also noted that it is especially impressive that Apple was able to increase their brand value so significantly in light of Steve Jobs’ passing. An increase in brand value despite the loss of their visionary leader is nothing short of amazing.
Considering Apple’s consistently high performance in terms of customer satisfaction, strong sales, and customer loyalty, it’s hardly surprising that they’ve once again come out on top of the pack. Apple ranked directly ahead of IBM, Google, McDonalds and Microsoft, who finished in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place, respectively.
A full chart of the top 100 brands and their values can be downloaded directly from Millward Brown (PDF, direct link).
